Garbage Rots in Gaza As Workers Walk Out

Garbage Rots in Gaza As Workers Walk OutBy By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press WriterThe smell of festering garbage, dead animals and burning trash hung over Gaza City on Thursday, the result of the latest strike by civil servants demanding that the Hamas-led government pay them their long-overdue salaries. Municipal workers...

Hilton, union close to deal

Hilton, union close to dealHilton Hotels Corp. has reached a tentative agreement with the hotel workers union on a new three-year contract covering 2,300 workers at four major Chicago-area hotels.

What's Wrong With Globalization?

What's Wrong With Globalization?Globalization, as the term is generally used, refers to the extension of the production and distribution of goods and services on a vastly greater international scale than ever before. This increasing internationalization of economic activity is

Chilean Copper Miners to Vote Today to End Strike at BHP's Escondida Mine

Outsourcing a net plus for Americans: US Chamber

Outsourcing a net plus for Americans: US ChamberAmericans may be complaining about losing jobs to Indians through outsourcing, but a new study says it is a net plus for them with the US getting at least $50 billion more through insourcing. The US is also winning the global

Employment Law Outsourcing Checklist

Employment Law Outsourcing Checklist When deciding to outsource, make sure to address all applicable legal obligations to employees. Use the following checklist to assist you with your compliance efforts.

Striking Gary Indiana teachers face deadline

Striking Gary teachers face deadlineGARY, Ind. -- Talks in the 10-day-old Gary teachers strike broke down again and school officials said they might be forced to take legal action.

Jamacia Teachers want more maternity leave

Teachers want more maternity leaveTHE teachers' union is pushing for four months paid maternity leave for its members, and has given the Government until 9:59 am today to reconsider its 'outright' rejection of this and other proposals submitted on behalf of the island's approximately

In Britain Second generation ethnic minorities make 'remarkable progress' in work

Second generation ethnic minorities make 'remarkable progress' in workSource: IndependentEthnic minorities have gained greater equality in the job market over the past 30 years, according to new research. Second generation minorities, especially men of black Caribbean, Indian and Pakistani heritage, are succeeding in ways their parents could only dream of, a study by Dr Yaojun Li, from Birmingham University, and Professor Anthony Heath, from Oxford University, found.

Three polls find workers sensing deep pessimism

Three polls find workers sensing deep pessimismSource: NYTThree new opinion polls released yesterday found deep pessimism among American workers, with most saying that wages were not keeping pace with inflation and that workers were worse off in many ways than a generation ago.

Northwest Air case tests union right to strike

Northwest Air case tests union right to strike By ReutersCHICAGO (Reuters) - An imminent court decision on Northwest Airlines flight attendants' right to strike could disrupt the carrier's restructuring and also change how the entire industry negotiates with its union employees.

Weekly jobless claims dip by 2,000 (AP)

Weekly jobless claims dip by 2,000 (AP)AP - The number of newly laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefitgs dropped slightly last week, indicating continued underlying strength in the labor market.

NYC issues 9/11 medical guidelines (AP)

NYC issues 9/11 medical guidelines (AP)AP - New York City health officials issued long-awaited guidelines on Thursday to help doctors detect and treat 9/11-related illnesses, medical advice considered crucial for hundreds of ground zero workers now scattered across the United States.

Healthy look at retaining older workers

Healthy look at retaining older workersHealth-care groups top AARP's list of best places to work for those older than 50. Dawn Olson, a manager at Mercy Health System in Janesville, Wis., took her laptop with her when she and her husband flew south to spend the month of February in Florida.

UPS Pilots Ratify New Contract

UPS Pilots Ratify New ContractUPS Inc. pilots approved a new contract Thursday with the world's largest shipping carrier, ending a lengthy battle that included threats of a walkout.

Chicago Hotels, union talking; pacts end Thursday

Hotels, union talking; pacts end ThursdayWith union contracts covering 7,000 Chicago hotel workers set to expire at midnight Thursday, new agreements remain out of reach, and three prominent downtown hotels have not engaged in the negotiations, the union says.

Daley: Blacks must move up construction ladder in Chicago

Daley: Blacks must move up construction ladderMayor Daley said Tuesday that "no one is satisfied" with the 9 percent share of city contracts going to African-American construction firms, but the only way to increase that number is to encourage more blacks to become general contractors.

Union claims Starbucks win

Union claims Starbucks winChicago Sun-TimesA union claiming to represent Starbucks Corp. workers at a handful of coffeehouses said Wednesday that employees of the Logan Square store have declared their membership, becoming the first outside New York City to do so.

NWA union expects no deal

NWA union expects no dealThe standoff between Northwest Airlines and its flight attendants union continued Wednesday as both sides provided discordant outlooks about reconciling their differences.

Minnesota Jobs plentiful, if you don't mind low wages

Jobs plentiful, if you don't mind low wagesMore open jobs, pay stalled The state issued its twice-a-year look at job vacancies Wednesday, concluding that job seekers had more to choose from in the second quarter. An advocacy group, the Jobs Now Coalition, points out slim pickin's when it comes to what they pay:

Kiss pension plans bye-bye

Kiss pension plans bye-byeWith the recent passage of a 907-page pension reform bill, you may think you have more retirement security.

Jobless rate in Kansas City metro area drops

Jobless rate in the metro area dropsThe unemployment rate in the Kansas City metro area slipped to 5.1 percent in July from 5.2 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.

Oil unions set to strike in Delta

Jobs in heart of darkness

Jobs in heart of darknessMore white-collar workers adjusting to the night shift. Blue-collar workers once ruled the night. But with manufacturing jobs on the decline, a growing number of white-collar professionals are taking on the physical and personal challenges of working the night shift to meet a growing need for round-the-clock services.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Army meets its retention goal (AP)

Army meets its retention goal (AP)AP - Staff Sgt. Michael Obleton has already done two tours in Iraq, dodging roadside bombs as he drove trucks in Army convoys across the hostile countryside.

End in sight for Chile pit strike

A Year After Katrina, Hispanics More Common in The Big Easy

A Year After Katrina, Hispanics More Common in The Big EasyOne of the biggest changes to the complexion of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast a year after Hurricane Katrina hit has been the greater prominence of Hispanics. New Orleans and the southernmost portions of Mississippi and Alabama were never as strongly

Battling the Scourge of IMF "Economic Medicine": Courage and Resistance in Oaxaca and Mexico City

GM Europe workers close ranks for new Astra work

GM Europe workers close ranks for new Astra workFRANKFURT (Reuters) - Labour leaders at five General Motors Europe plants will not enter in a contest to make the next-generation Astra compact until the carmaker agrees job security steps, its works council head said on Wednesday. GM has said

Around 3,200 VW staff take buyout packages so far

Around 3,200 VW staff take buyout packages so farHAMBURG (Reuters) - Around 3,200 workers at Volkswagen's core VW business in Germany have accepted voluntary redundancy packages that Europe's biggest carmaker is offering to prune labor costs, the company said on Wednesday. 'We assume that we

Dragonair said to axe 700 staff after Cathay Pacific takeover

Dragonair said to axe 700 staff after Cathay Pacific takeoverDragonair may lay off as many as 700 staff after it is taken over by flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways, according to a press report. Citing an unnamed source, the Standard newspaper reported that a "sizable number of support staff" will be axed as

NWA willing to talk, but flight attendants call it pointless

NWA willing to talk, but flight attendants call it pointlessIn StarTribune.com BusinessNorthwest Airlines Corp. and its flight attendants, locked in a dispute that could end in a strike, offered sharply differing views today on whether they can solve their problems at the negotiating table. Last week a federal district judge blocked random, unannounced job actions planned by flight attendants, who are trying to force Northwest to negotiate a better deal. On Wednesday the Association of Flight Attendants told the judge that it appears there is little likelihood that talks would be fruitful. However, Northwest claimed it is willing to talk and that it "is working on its own ne

AFL-CIO to spend $40 million on elections

AFL-CIO to spend $40 million on electionsSource: CNNThe AFL-CIO announced Wednesday it will spend $40 million on get-out-the-vote operations for the midterm elections in an effort to try to drive congressional Republicans from power as well as win governorships in 21 states across the country.

Miami's poor hungry for progress

Miami's poor hungry for progressMiami is the nation's third-poorest major city, behind only Cleveland and Detroit, according to a report released Tuesday by the Census Bureau.

Employers Cut Back on Health Insurance

Employers Cut Back on Health InsuranceNPR audioThe number of Americans without health insurance has increased by more than a million people since last year. One reason for the increase: the percentage of American's who get their health insurance from an employer keeps going down.

Supreme Court Memo: Women Suddenly Scarce Among Justices’ Clerks

Seattle area: Men rise higher on pay ladder

Men rise higher on pay ladderWomen's pay is lagging behind men's in Seattle, where the typical man got a more-than $2,000 pay bump last year while women's pay was virtually unchanged, according to a Seattle P-I analysis of new federal data.

New head of campus diversity at Cal heading for big paycheck

New head of campus diversity at Cal heading for big paycheckBy Phillip Matier, Andrew RossUC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau has just announced he's creating the new post of vice chancellor for equity and inclusion -- a job that not only has an impressive title, but an equally impressive salary of between $182,000 and $282,000 a year....

Average daily commute is getting shorter (AP)

WellPoint looks at restructuring, job cuts

WellPoint looks at restructuring, job cutsWellPoint Inc., the nation's largest commercial health insurer, announced today a sweeping restructuring of its internal organization that will result in an undisclosed number of job cuts.

Striking Gary, Indiana teachers face firing

Striking Gary teachers face firingGARY, Ind. -- The Gary Community School Corp. sent letters Tuesday to striking teachers warning them they could be fired if they do not return to their classrooms by Thursday.

RadioShack uses e-mail to lay off employees

RadioShack uses e-mail to lay off employeesRadioShack Corp. followed through on its announced plans to cut about 400 jobs, but the electronics retailer has been forced on the defensive about its method of notifying laid-off employees by e-mail

Home Depot to lay off 300 at HQ

Home Depot to lay off 300 at HQHome Depot told employees Wednesday it will lay off 300 workers at its Cobb County headquarters to offset a recent uptick in costs for its store operations, according to an internal memo. Home Depot, which employs about 5,000 people at its headquarters, has undergone several consolidations since General Electric veteran Bob Nardelli took the helm in 2000. The reduction announced Wednesday is related to Nardelli's decision to spend more on Home Depot stores in the second half of the year.

NWA, union to meet judge today

NWA, union to meet judge todayNorthwest Airlines and its flight attendants union, which haven't resumed contract talks, are set to meet today with the judge who urged them to negotiate when he blocked a strike last week.

Bayer’s cutback to affect Kanas City area

Bayer’s cutback to affect KC areaGerman chemical and drug maker Bayer AG on Tuesday said it would cut 1,500 jobs by the end of 2009, mainly in North America, as it reorganizes its CropScience unit.

Extreme poverty in Asia falls, study says

Extreme poverty in Asia falls, study saysBUSAN, South Korea Economic growth in China and India has significantly reduced the number of Asians subsisting below the $1-a-day poverty level, International Labor Organization said Tuesday.

Daily Misery Has a Number: D.C. area commute 2nd-Longest in U.S.

Daily Misery Has a Number: Commute 2nd-Longest in U.S. By D'Vera Cohn and Robert SamuelsResidents of Washington's outer suburbs endure some of the nation's longest commutes, according to a U.S. Census survey released yesterday that also showed clogged roads and high gasoline prices are pushing a growing number of people onto mass transit.

WORK SPACE: Little boasting on posting

WORK SPACE: Little boasting on postingOnly 6 percent of U.S. workers say they read blogs, message boards or chat rooms about their own companies, and only 5 percent say they’ve contributed to them, according to a survey released this month.

LABOR SCENE: Appeals ruling favors UPS, union

LABOR SCENE: Appeals ruling favors UPS, unionA federal appeals court has upheld a judge’s ruling in favor of United Parcel Service and Teamsters Local 41, both of which were sued by two former employees contending they were illegally fired.

Classes come to students

Classes come to studentsOnce a week at Armed Forces Insurance Co. in Leavenworth, a handful of employees take off early from work to attend college. They don’t have to leave the building or pay tuition.

Get certified, get an edge

Get certified, get an edgeProving that a company is owned by a woman sounds easy enough. But the process for certifying a business as woman-owned — whether through a public agency or private organization — involves much more than proof of gender and ownership.

Debt straps middle-income families

Debt straps middle-income familiesDespite increased home ownership — one of the largest assets of most middle-income families — the overall financial condition of many Americans had deteriorated, according to a report on wealth distribution.

Casinos' Rebound Brings Money, Jobs to Gulf Coast

Casinos' Rebound Brings Money, Jobs to Gulf CoastNPR audio:Hurricane Katrina destroyed Mississippi's booming coastal casino business -- taking with it an important source of revenue and jobs. But a year after the storm, the seventh casino is reopening in Biloxi -- the latest sign of the gambling industry's dramatic turnaround.

Making a job work

Making a job workAfter quitting her job overseeing four Toys "R" Us stores to raise her newborn son, Allison O'Kelly took her Harvard MBA and designed a career she thought would let her excel in business and make time for kids. Her Cobb County-based venture, Mom Corps, aims to connect companies offering flexible work options with former CPAs, marketing specialists, lawyers and other professionals who took time out to become moms. Some of her client firms offer short-term project work. Others have three-day-a-week jobs that fit within "mom hours" when kids are at school. The concept plays well, especially as the wave of retiring baby boomers threatens to drain employers of experienced workers.

After the Deluge: Big Easy organizers confront racial tensions

After the Deluge: Big Easy organizers confront racial tensionsSource: In These TimesIn New Orleans, the history of work in this country over the last 15 years was compressed into six months,” says Saket Soni, an organizer for the New Orleans Worker Justice Coalition, one of several groups reaching out to workers in the post-flood city.

National Labor Relations Board may effectively gut millions' right to unionize.

National Labor Relations Board may effectively gut millions' right to unionize.Source: The New StandardIf the NLRB acts as expected in imminent rulings on three separate 2002 cases – collectively known as the "Kentucky River" cases – more than 8 million workers could see their collective-bargaining rights disappear, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a progressive research organization.

Ground Zero Workers: The Continuing Cost Of A Cover-Up

Ground Zero Workers: The Continuing Cost Of A Cover-UpSource: Confined SpaceIn the case of World Trade Center ground zero workers, plenty was known early on about the toxicity of the dust they were inhaling, and little was done to ensure that workers were protected -- especially by those agencies -- the City of New York, OSHA and EPA -- who were responsible for worker safety. One only hopes that, should something like this ever happen again, we've learned our lesson.

If the auto industry is dead what does that mean for workers?

If the auto industry is dead what does that mean for workers?Source: Labor Notesn the 1980s Chevrolet proclaimed itself the “Heartbeat of America.” Today many would say that the American auto industry qualifies for life support. Last November, General Motors (owner of the Chevy brand) announced that it was cutting 25,000 jobs and closing up to 12 factories by 2008.

Worries about the job market have left confidence among US consumers at a nine-month low

New Zealand Union warns employer may break law by using new workers

Hundreds demand jobs in violent protest in Gaza

Hundreds demand jobs in violent protest in GazaSource: ReutersHundreds of Palestinians demanding jobs clashed with riot police outside parliament on Tuesday in one of the most violent rallies in Gaza since the Hamas government assumed power seven months ago.

Civil-racketeering claims against Wal-Mart dropped

Civil-racketeering claims against Wal-Mart droppedA federal judge dismissed civil-racketeering claims Monday against Wal-Mart Stores Inc., narrowing the scope of a lawsuit that accused the world's largest retailer of knowingly employing illegal immigrants to clean its stores.

Chile: Miners say NO to scabs

Chile: Miners say NO to scabsLabourStart headline - Source: Prensa LatinaMembers of the Union of Escondida, the world largest private open air mine, lodged an appeal to the Labor Inspector to expel workers hired by the transnational to break the three-week strike.

More Indiana residents sink into poverty

More Hoosiers sink into povertyThe number of Hoosiers living in poverty grew 13 percent from 2004 to 2005, leaving more than 740,000 men, women and children struggling to make ends meet, new census data show.

Liberia: Civil Servants Cry For Pay

Liberia: Civil Servants Cry For PayThey told our reporters on tour of several ministries and agencies yesterday, that they had not taken pay for more than two months now a situation blamed on delay in the passage of the 2006/2007 national budget by the National Legislature.

Cameroon: Cameroon Airlines Workers Demand Fcfa 24 Billion

Cameroon: Camair Workers Demand Fcfa 24 BillionThe coordinator of workers' syndicates at Cameroon Airlines, CAMAIR, Pierre Marie Essimi, has disclosed that contrary to government's decision to allocate FCFA 15 billion to pay potential retrenched workers of the company, calculation done by the syndicates shows that the close to 900 workers are supposed to be paid FCFA 24 billion.

Ford updates union leaders

Ford updates union leadersSource: NYTLocal union leaders at the Ford Motor Company received an update on the struggling company’s condition Tuesday, but said they were not told about any specific steps the company planned to take.

Washington D.C. Few Places Left for Industrial Business

Few Places Left for Industrial Business By Dana HedgpethFinding space in the District to do dirty jobs is getting harder and harder these days. The boom in office, housing and retail development that started in the late 1990s has pushed developers to pay ever-higher prices for land where used-car lots, tire shops and cement plants once were, according to a study by the District's Office of Planning.

Incentives To Cheat: OSHA Recordkeeping And Its Toll On Workers

Incentives To Cheat: OSHA Recordkeeping And Its Toll On WorkersSource: Confined SpaceInjury and illness recordkeeping is one of those seemingly boring, but extremely important topics. Who OSHA targets for inspections, funding for workplace safety programs, companies' insurance rates and their ability to secure contracts all depend to some extent on where the injury and illness numbers are.

Strike tactics, but few work shutdowns

Strike tactics, but few work shutdownsSource: BusinessWeekDuring a CHAOS strike, like the one Northwest Airlines flight attendants threatened to launch last week, there's very little actual striking.

Real wages fail to match a rise in productivity

Real wages fail to match a rise in productivitySource: NYTWith the economy beginning to slow, the current expansion has a chance to become the first sustained period of economic growth since World War II that fails to offer a prolonged increase in real wages for most workers.

Chicago Living Wage activists take on `Big Box' retailers

Chicago Living Wage activists take on `Big Box' retailersSource: Labor NotesChicago’s city council passed a Chicago’s “Big Box” ordinance requires large retailers to pay wages of at least $10 an hour plus $3 in benefits by 2010. Photo: SEIU Local 880. “Big Box Ordinance” on July 25 requiring large retailers (those with stores over 90,000 square feet) to pay their employees $10 an hour, plus another $3 an hour in benefits, by 2010.

Rail Reform Group wins victories in quest for cross-union unity, democracySource: Labor NotesSince its founding in the spring of 2005, the rank-and-file reform group Railroad Operating Crafts United (ROCU) has been plugging away at organizing around the twin themes of rail labor unity and internal union democracy. After a year of hard member-by-member organizing, ROCU, whose members come from the United Transportation Union (UTU) and the Teamster-affiliated Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLET), has some reasons to celebrate.

Detroit Teachers Reject Contract, Go on Strike

Detroit Teachers Reject Contract, Go on StrikeDETROIT (AP) - Teachers frustrated by failed efforts to reach a contract agreement with the city's public school district went on strike Monday and said they were prepared to stand their ground for as long as it takes. The Detroit Federation of Teachers

For business owners, a shortage of vacation time

For business owners, a shortage of vacation timeIn smallBusinessNews(Inc.com) - Last year, Mary Schellhammer and her husband Paul left behind their Spotsylvania, Va., personal-chef business and took an extended summer vacation in Europe. Next year, they're planning a two-week trip to Alaska.

California Employers Threatened With New Waive of 17200 Suits

California Employers Threatened With New Waive of 17200 SuitsBy Sheppard Mullin on ImmigrationA new organization by the name of "Illegal Employers.org" has established a website for reporting employers alleged to be engaged in the employment of unauthorized workers in California and elsewhere. The website describes the organization as a network of law firms,...

Seattle Times, Union Set Tentative Deal

Seattle Times, Union Set Tentative DealThe Seattle Times and its largest union have tentatively agreed on a new, two-year contract that calls for no across-the-board wage increases, the newspaper reported. But Liz Brown, the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild's administrative officer, said...

S.F. hotel workers authorize strike

S.F. hotel workers authorize strikeSource: SF Business TimesJoining hotel workers in Hawaii, Toronto and Chicago, employees from 13 large San Francisco hotels last night authorized their union to call a strike. Members of Local 2 of the Unite Here union authorized a strike by a 93 percent vote, union officials said.

Employers Flock to Government Screening Program

Employers Flock to Government Screening ProgramNPR audio:The government's Basic Pilot program, which employers can voluntarily use to screen prospective employees, tells whether someone is legally eligible to work in the U.S. In the past year, the number of employers using the program has doubled.

Wal-Mart Reaches Out, Gets Slapped

Wal-Mart Reaches Out, Gets SlappedThe discount giant takes criticism from all sides as it tries to appeal to a more diverse clientele.For Wal-Mart Stores Inc., even trying to make new friends is controversial.

Minnesota's HMO rate hikes slow

HMO rate hikes slowThe hefty reserves being socked away by Minnesota's health maintenance organizations might have helped keep down last year's premium increases, which were their lowest since 1998, according to an industry report issued Friday.

High noon for NWA, union

High noon for NWA, unionFlight attendants at Northwest Airlines could start walking off flights or launch other job actions as early as 9:01 p.m. today. The union is vague about its strike strategy. The airline pledges to continue to operate a normal schedule, but won't say how. What to watch for today:

Persistence pays with 401(k)s

Persistence pays with 401(k)sNEW YORK — Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to retirement savings, according to a study of 401(k) accounts released Thursday.

Many skip employer medical benefits

Many skip employer medical benefitsNearly three-fourths of U.S. workers in private industry had access to employer-sponsored health-care benefit plans this year, but only about half participated in those plans.

Airlines ask judge to block walkouts

Airlines ask judge to block walkoutsThe U.S. Justice Department and more than 20 airlines asked a judge to block a flight attendants' strike at Northwest Airlines, saying a work stoppage would disrupt transportation and hurt the economy.

Employers Tap Web for Employee Information

Employers Tap Web for Employee InformationMore employers are looking online to learn about their employees. Some people are putting sensitive personal information on Web sites, such as myspace.com and friendster.com. And some employers are watching.

IRS outsourced

IRS outsourcedWASHINGTON — As the Internal Revenue Service prepares to implement a new program that sends private debt collection agencies after delinquent taxpayers, critics — including several lawmakers and the employee union at the Treasury Department — are gearing up to protest it.

Delta retired pilots group shifts pension stance

Delta retired pilots group shifts pension stanceA group representing retired pilots is having second thoughts about its decision not to oppose Delta Air Lines' plans to terminate their pension plan. The group, DP3, asked the federal bankruptcy court to delay a Sept. 1 hearing on Delta's request to terminate the pension plan. The group argued that it needs more time to study pension relief legislation signed into law last week that could open a way for Delta to save the pilots' pensions. Delta wants to shed the deeply underfunded pension plan effective Sept. 2, shifting responsibility for further benefit payouts to a quasi-federal agency.

Hiring Of Hispanic Professors Lags In Florida

Hiring Of Hispanic Professors Lags In Florida The enrollment of Hispanic students at Florida colleges and universities has ballooned spectacularly in recent years, prompting many Hispanic professors to question why their numbers aren't growing at a corresponding pace. Hispanic professors and

Worried at work

Worried at workIn StarTribune.com BusinessLori Murphy waits for two phone calls every day. She does this at work, as a youth-enrichment coordinator for Edina Community Education Services. The rule is that her sons, Connor, 15, and Jack, 12, check in when they let themselves into the house after school. After four years of this, Murphy's maternal anxiety level has dropped to the high-normal range for the hour or two the boys are alone. Still, she doesn't relax until those calls come. "It's a scary thing to do with your children," Murphy said. "You want to make sure you're doing the right thing." Multiply Murphy about 14 mil

Detroit Waves Flag That No Longer Flies

Detroit Waves Flag That No Longer Flies By Sholnn FreemanSen. Lamar Alexander has backed a measure to outlaw burning of the American flag and supported a move to recognize English as the national language. He also takes what he calls a pro-American stance on issues related to the U.S. auto industry, but his view doesn't sit well in Detroit.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Politics of Outsourcing Aren't Dead Yet

Politics of Outsourcing Aren't Dead YetU.S. election and business cycles are both here to stay. In the absence of hard evidence that would conclusively prove that the U.S. economy gains from the relocation of labor-intensive tasks to cheaper centers, it is quite safe to assume that the politics of outsourcing are in hibernation, not dead.

Asians 2nd largest immigrants to US

Asians 2nd largest immigrants to USEvery eighth person in America today is foreign-born with Asians making up the second largest group of immigrants with India, China and the Philippines supplying the greatest numbers.

U.S. Homeland Security Estimate 10.5M Illegal Immigrants

Feds Estimate 10.5M Illegal ImmigrantsWASHINGTON -- An estimated 10.5 million illegal immigrants were living in the United States in 2005, the federal government said in a report Friday. That's up from an estimated 8.5 million living in the country in 2000, according to calculations by the

Vietnam legislature debates gender equality bill

Vietnam legislature debates gender equality billVietnam legislature debates gender equality bill Vietnamese legislators discussed the draft Law on Gender Equality Thursday with focus on the retirement age and pensions for women and the ratio of women in elected bodies.

Daley slams visitors who tout wage laws

Daley slams visitors who tout wage laws`You manage your city,' mayor says of 2 leaders. Officials from Santa Fe and San Francisco told Chicago aldermen on Thursday that minimum-wage ordinances have had no negative effects on their cities and have not scared off big retailers.

Boeing's Long Beach C-17 Plant to Shut Down

Boeing's Long Beach C-17 Plant to Shut DownBoeing Co. said today it was taking the first steps toward closing its sprawling C-17 assembly plant in Long Beach, a shutdown that is expected to be completed by the middle of 2009 unless significant new orders are placed for the giant military transport aircraft.

Maryland unemployment increases in July

Md. unemployment increases in JulyState employers cut 1,100 jobs, signaling broader economic slowdownMaryland employers cut jobs for the second month in a row, according to federal numbers released today, leading economists to speculate that the economic slowing nationally is causing ripple effects across the state.

Judge Won’t Block Strike by Northwest Attendants

Delphi to see exodus of 6,300 US workers

Delphi to see exodus of 6,300 US workersCHICAGO (Reuters) - Bankrupt auto parts maker Delphi Corp. said on Friday that 6,300 U.S. hourly workers at the company's second largest union, or 83 percent of those eligible, have opted to leave through retirements or buyouts.

Jobless claims drop by most in a month (AP)

NY Gov Pataki will veto change in anti-public-union Taylor law

NY Gov Pataki will veto change in anti-public-union Taylor lawSource: NYTGov. George E. Pataki will veto a bill that would have strengthened unions in negotiations with public employers, his staff said yesterday. The bill was backed by the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and passed by the Legislature in June. It would have amended the Taylor Law, which governs public employees’ labor negotiations, in part by expediting decisions from the state’s Public Employment Relations Board in cases in which employers are accused of negotiating in bad faith.

Same-sex pairs to benefit under new pension law / Provision allows nonmarried beneficiaries to postpone taxes

Ford to Slash Production, Shutter Plants

Ford to Slash Production, Shutter PlantsBy By SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press WriterFord Motor Co. on Friday announced sharp cuts in its 2006 North American production that will force it to temporarily shut down plants in the U.S. and Canada as it struggles to boost profits against intense foreign competition. The company said fourth-...

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Delphi: Progress in talks with GM, unions

Delphi: Progress in talks with GM, unionsNEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- There has been progress in talks aimed at reaching a new labor agreement that could avoid a crippling strike at bankrupt auto parts maker Delphi and shutdown of operations at General Motors, according to a Delphi spokesman.

Fiat boss in Swiss labor row

Fiat boss in Swiss labor rowFiat boss in Swiss labor row Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne is trying to defuse a row over allegations he illicitly underpaid foreign laborers for work on the grounds of his villa in Switzerland.

Bush signs pension bill backed by Delta

Bush signs pension bill backed by DeltaPresident Bush on Thursday signed new rules to prod companies into shoring up their pension plans and offered strong words for corporate America: "Set aside enough money now." But while the legislation toughens pension funding rules overall, it also gives Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines much more time than other companies to fully fund its main plan. Delta executives, who lobbied hard for the provision, say that should enable the carrier to keep the plan intact as its restructures in bankruptcy court. Delta's main plan covers 91,000 workers, retirees and dependents. A separate plan for pilots is being scuttled, and the airline says the pension bill won't change that.

Foreign Briefs : Jobless Claims Rise in Britain

Foreign Briefs : Jobless Claims Rise in BritainBy BLOOMBERG NEWSBritain’s unemployment rose the fastest in more than four years in July as factories shed workers and migrants swelled the work force. The number of people claiming benefits rose by 2,000 from June, to 957,000, the most since January 2002, the Office for National Statistics said. The jobless rate held at 3 percent for a fifth month, in line with economists’ forecasts. The gain in unemployment prompted one of the Bank of England’s seven policy makers, David G. Blanchflower, to vote against this month’s interest rate increase to 4.75 percent, according to published minutes of the meeting. Investors are betting on one more rate increase before the end of the year after inflation held above the bank’s 2 percent target for a third month in July. “The rise in unemployment is strong evidence of ample spare capacity in the U.K. economy, and should over the medium term restrain pay growth,” said Gavin Redknap, an economist at Standard Chartered Bank in London.’’.

Taxi Drivers Organize for Better Treatment

Taxi Drivers Organize for Better TreatmentNPR audio:High gas prices are hitting taxi drivers particularly hard. That's one reason hundreds of cabbies in Los Angeles, and other major cities, have started to organize for better pay and work rules.

The Ins and Doubts of Pension Plans

The Ins and Doubts of Pension PlansNPR audio:President Bush signs sweeping new pension reforms. Olivia Mitchell, Executive Director of the Pension Research Council at the Wharton School, explains how pension plans work for employees and employers. She also talks about the problems that arise when a company doesn't set aside enough money to pay off those promises.

Will the Pension Protection Act Do the Job?

Will the Pension Protection Act Do the Job?NPR audio:President Bush signs the Pension Protection Act of 2006, which he calls the biggest reform of the nation's pension system in more than three decades. The legislation is designed to strengthen the government's deficit-ridden pension insurance program. But some companies say the stricter funding requirements could push more firms to dump pension programs in favor of 401(k) programs.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

What does a dying U.S. auto industry mean for the rest of America?

What does a dying U.S. auto industry mean for the rest of America?Source: Washington SpectatorIn the 1980s Chevrolet proclaimed itself the "Heartbeat of America." Today, many would say that the American auto industry barely has a pulse. Last November, General Motors (owner of the Chevy brand) announced that it was cutting 25,000 jobs and closing up to 12 factories by 2008

Labor tries to heal its differences

Labor tries to heal its differencesSource: NY TimesA year after their breakup, former partners in organized labor are trying to heal some differences by joining forces politically for the November midterm elections.

Data theft may hurt workers

Data theft may hurt workersBy David LazarusChevron may have pocketed record profits of $4.35 billion in the most recent quarter, but that wasn't enough to protect the names and Social Security numbers of potentially tens of thousands of employees. The San Ramon oil giant sent an e-mail to U.S....

Industrial output up less than expected (Reuters)

Industrial output up less than expected (Reuters)Reuters - Output at U.S. factories, mines and utilities rose by a smaller-than-expected 0.4 percent in July, while capacity use edged higher but also came short of forecasts, according to a government report on Wednesday, signaling a hot manufacturing economy may be ready to cool.

Marketplace: Wal-Mart's Policy Letter

Marketplace: Wal-Mart's Policy LetterNPR audioWal-Mart Stores released a letter that it sent to its 18,000 Iowa workers this week. The letter warns that some local politicians are wrongly criticizing Wal-Mart's health and wage policies, but the company insists it's not trying to influence voting. Alex talks with Marketplace's Amy Scott.

Building Trades Bring Fight for Future of American Workers at Georgia Immigration Bill Hearing

Building Trades Bring Fight for Future of American Workers at Georgia Immigration Bill HearingToday the Building Trades submitted testimony in strong support of wage floor protection contained in the Senate Immigration Bill (S. 2611) to protect American workers. Terry Yellig, representing the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, chaired by Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA), at a hearing on "Immigration: Economic Impact on American Workers and their Wages" at the federal courthouse in Gainesville, Georgia.

New U.S. immigrants fan out across nation

New U.S. immigrants fan out across nationThe number of immigrants living in American households rose 16 percent over the past five years, fueled largely by recent arrivals from Mexico, according to fresh data issued by the Census Bureau. Increasingly, immigrants are bypassing the traditional

State of the TA unions

State of the TA unionsSource: Inside Higher EdThe video had the same amateur quality as those that circulate on YouTube and other Internet sites. Set to the lyrics of “We’re Not Going to Take It,” a handheld camera followed friends of the graduate student unionization movement to a New York University alumni fund-raising event this past year that featured the unions’ public enemy of the moment, NYU President John Sexton.

Northwest Mechanics: Life after the strike

Life after the strikeSource: St. Paul Pioneer-PressIn the early days of the strike, the picket lines were a busy rallying post for Northwest Airlines' union mechanics.

A year later, NWA strikers left with no jobs, no leverage

A year later, NWA strikers left with no jobs, no leverageSource: Minneapolis Star-TribuneThe mechanics union at Northwest Airlines will return to the bargaining table Tuesday -- only four days shy of the one-year anniversary of the start of the strike that many labor observers believe has been one of the worst-timed strikes in years.

Hospitals' union workers reach tentative agreementCatholic Healthcare West and the union representing service workers at 24 hospitals in California have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that the union and employer say has an improved benefit package. The tentative contract covers 12,000...

Wal-Mart Workers Mixed on New Pay Caps

Wal-Mart Workers Mixed on New Pay CapsBy By MARCUS KABEL, AP Business WriterA dozen years into a Wal-Mart career, Brad Moore looked forward to earning more money based on his good annual performance reviews

Friday, August 11, 2006

Massachusett Senator aims to lift firms' role in health plan

Senator aims to lift firms' role in health planBy Jeffrey Krasner, Globe StaffSenator Richard T. Moore says the Romney administration's proposed standards for company contributions to employees' healthcare insurance are inadequate and that he may seek to change them through a bill intended to correct technical defects in the healthcare reform law.

Study: Immigrants Not Hurting U.S. Jobs

Study: Immigrants Not Hurting U.S. JobsBy By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press WriterBig increases in immigration since 1990 have not hurt employment prospects for American workers, says a study released Thursday. The report comes as Congress and much of the nation are debating immigration policy, a big issue in this fall's midterm...

Wal-Mart backs down and allows Chinese workers to join union

Wal-Mart backs down and allows Chinese workers to join unionSource: The GuardianWal-Mart, the world's biggest retail company, conceded defeat yesterday in a two-year battle against the world's largest labour federation, by offering to support the formation of labour unions at its 60 stores in China.

Terror news may alter NWA attendants' strike plans

Terror news may alter NWA attendants' strike plansIn StarTribune.com BusinessNorthwest Airlines flight attendants, who serve on the front lines in ensuring the safety of airplane cabins, found themselves in a new political climate Thursday. Should they go ahead with plans to engage in selective work stoppages next week, even though new terrorist threats are already causing delays at airports nationwide? Mollie Reiley, interim president of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) at Northwest, said union leaders are weighing their options as they approach Tuesday's strike deadline. "Today, there is a security issue in this country, and we're going to stay focused

Union, Goodyear to resume talks

Union, Goodyear to resume talksSource: Houston ChronicleAs the world's largest tire producer and its workers' union resume talks on a new labor deal, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. says it wants a contract that will improve its competitiveness in an industry where costs have become a drag on profits.

Labor federation forms a pact with day lorkers

Labor federation forms a pact with day lorkersSource: NY TimesThe A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the nation’s largest organization of day laborers signed a partnership agreement yesterday intended to help the languishing labor movement tap into the potent energy of the immigrant rights movement.

Jobless claims rise more than expected (AP)

Pensions take their lumps

Pensions take their lumpsBy Kathleen PenderMost people who take lump-sum distributions from their defined-benefit pension plans will get slightly less starting in 2008, thanks to a provision in the pension bill awaiting President Bush's signature. This provision applies only to lump-sum...

Europe Faces Shrinking Pool of Workers

Europe Faces Shrinking Pool of WorkersBy By DAVID McHUGH, Associated Press WriterWith almost 5 million people out of work, Germany's labor market might seem a manager's dream when it comes to filling jobs _ easy pickings from a sea of desperate applicants. Not so for entrepreneur Martin Hubschneider when he needs top talent for his...

NWA says strike could force it into liquidation

NWA says strike could force it into liquidationIn StarTribune.com BusinessNorthwest Airlines said a strike by flight attendants could force the company into liquidation and asked a federal bankruptcy judge to bar a walkout. "If in fact the flight attendants were to strike a flight in late August, we could sustain that," Julie Hagen Showers, Northwest's vice president of labor relations, testified Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. "But they also refer to shutting down a hub for a week. That is the type of thing we can't sustain." Showers said Northwest "has not finalized" a contingency plan in the event of a strike. The fifth-biggest U.S. airline ask

Allianz cuts 200 workers to cope with slower sales

Allianz cuts 200 workers to cope with slower salesIn StarTribune.com BusinessAllianz Life Insurance of North America, the U.S. subsidiary of the German financial services conglomerate, on Thursday laid off about 7 percent or 200 of its employees, many of them at its Golden Valley headquarters. Allianz said it has experienced a slowdown in the sale of annuity products that are tied to the performance of the Standard & Poor's 500 and other stock market indexes -- one of its largest businesses. CEO Mark Zesbaugh said Thursday that the business downturn is partly a result of new rules governing how annuity products are sold through securities firms -- requiring less

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Britain: Council tax 'rises for migrants'

Council tax 'rises for migrants'The LGA says official figures on migration are grossly inaccurate Sharp council tax rises may be needed in the next few years to fund housing and education for immigrant families, says the Local Government Association. The LGA, which represents local

England: Two million migrants in the Midlands

Two million migrants in the MidlandsNEARLY two million foreign migrants have moved into the West Midlands since 2002, sparking fears that council services are in danger of being over-whelmed by population growth. Figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions show that 1,822,110

South Africa: Textile wage settlement 'due soon'

Textile wage settlement 'due soon'The Cosatu-affiliated Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers' Union (Sactwu) says it is optimistic that the one outstanding wage negotiation in the sector should be settled in the next two weeks. 'We are optimistic that the one

Income differences between Finnish men and women persist - report

Income differences between Finnish men and women persist - reportThe BIT Research Centre of Helsinki University of Technology published its report on equal pay through pay systems reforms on Wednesday, concluding that income differences between men and women could still be reduced. The report observed that new pay systems are insufficient to address the problem, and workplace bosses should be encouraged to value the work of all workers under their authority equally. This is deemed to require training and education.

The Outsourcing Trap

The Outsourcing TrapIn light of outsourcing trends worldwide, contracting out is appropriate only for a function that is not core to a business. According to the OMB Circular A-76, an activity is inherently governmental if it "is so intimately related to the public interest as to mandate performance by government personnel." Now, the Transportation Security Administration is outsourcing security workers, the Homeland Security Department is turning over the sovereign function of border security to private industry, and the Pentagon is contracting out thousands of intelligence jobs. How much more inherently governmental can these functions get? They define the federal government's role.

Now, Indian hospitals begin to outsource

Now, Indian hospitals begin to outsourceHealth outsourcing is not just about American hospitals offshoring work to India. Within India hospitals are looking to increase their efficiency by moving diagnostic, lab and even managerial work to specialised units in the country.

China labor pains and holiday woes

China labor pains and holiday woesNEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Retailers have a new, and unexpected, Grinch to worry about this Christmas: a Chinese labor crunch. Make that a cheap labor crunch. The migrant workers that typically man China's low cost factories are drifting away. And it has

China's state-backed union warns Wal-Mart

China's state-backed union warns Wal-MartBEIJING (Reuters) -- Sparring between China's official trade union and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. intensified Wednesday, with the union warning the world's largest retailer not to act against members while the company called for talks. Guo Wencai, an official

Chinese Union: Wal-Mart Wants to Talk

China's Shenzhen Airline recruits 40 foreign pilots

Airline recruits 40 foreign pilotsShenzhen Airlines recently hired 40 Brazillian pilots in China's largest single hiring of foreign pilots. All are experienced pilots who used to work for Brazil's bankrupt national airline Varig, said a human resource staff member with Shenzhen Airlines.

Pakistani-born pilot sues JetBlue, claiming discrimination

Pakistani-born pilot sues JetBlue, claiming discriminationFaisal Baig, a U.S. citizen who was raised in Yonkers, claims in the suit that an airline manager told him in March that he was a 'security risk.' According to the suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Baig asked, 'Are you saying that you are not

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

California Supreme Court Confirms At-Will Means "At Any Time"

California Supreme Court Confirms At-Will Means "At Any Time"By Sheppard Mullin on TerminationOn August 3, 2006, the California Supreme Court decided the case of Dore v. Arnold Worldwide, Inc. The issue before the Court was whether the use of the phrase "at any time" to define the term "at will" in an offer...

Delta seeks OK to outsource computer work

Delta seeks OK to outsource computer workDelta Air Lines asked a bankruptcy judge Tuesday to let it use IBM rather than its own employees to maintain its computer systems. Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton said the outsourcing agreement, if finalized and approved by the court, would result in "substantial savings," though she declined to say how much. About 200 of the 1,800 employees in Delta's technology unit would be affected, though it's unclear how many might lose their jobs. Often in such arrangements, some employees transfer to the company to which the work is being outsourced.

Court: Workers can't expect computer privacy

Court: Workers can't expect computer privacyBy Bay City NewsA federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled today that workers have no legal expectation of privacy on their office computers when their employer has an announced policy of monitoring computers. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the...

China Tests US Immigration Plan

China Tests US Immigration PlanChina Tests US Immigration Plan In spat over asylum policy, Beijing refuses return of illegal entrants June Kronholz , 4 August 2006 What can the U.S. do if a huge trading partner like China won't take back thousands of illegal immigrants? Not much,

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